Latest KFF Health News Stories
Small Businesses May Find Relief In Health Insurance Exchanges Designed For Them
The health law provides new marketplaces for employers with 50 or fewer full time workers, designed to offer more affordable insurance to mom-and-pop businesses that have long had to pay more than large companies.
Obamacare Marketplaces Open, Despite Technical Glitches And Government Shutdown
The online marketplaces, also known as exchanges, sell plans effective as soon as Jan. 1. But they got a rocky launch, with software glitches in some cases and implementation delays in others.
Language, Knowledge Are Barriers For Immigrants Seeking Insurance In California
The Obama administration is counting on outreach efforts to enroll Latinos and other immigrants. They tend to be younger than the general population, and so they balance out the costs of older, sicker people in the insurance pool.
Millions Previously Denied Insurance Coverage Because Of Health Problems Look To Online Marketplaces
Many are relieved they can no longer be rejected by insurers but anxious about whether they will be able to afford the new policies.
Three Critical Measures Of Marketplaces’ Impact Could Take Several Years To Assess
Initial reports on enrollment, premium prices and breadth of benefits likely will not reflect long-term prospects.
Worried About Costs And Unaware of Help, Californians Head Into New Era of Health Coverage
Survey of 2,000 Californians also finds that many undocumented immigrants mistakenly believe they will be covered.
A Guide To The Lawsuits Challenging Obamacare’s Contraception Coverage Requirements
Various legal challenges to the health law’s contraception coverage mandate are continuing to wind their way through the system.
48 Million Americans Remain Uninsured, Census Bureau Reports
The uninsured rate for 2012 dropped slightly from 15.7 percent to 15.4 percent, largely because of an increase in people enrolled in public insurance programs.
Pa. Governor Proposes Private Sector-Driven Medicaid Expansion
The broad framework of Gov. Corbett’s proposal is similar to plans advanced by Arkansas and Iowa, neither of which has been approved by the federal government.
Local Uninsured Programs Face Uncertain Times As Obamacare Ramps Up
Some enrollees will have to pay more for coverage in new exchanges, while others may lose out in states that do not expand Medicaid.
Consumer, State Officials Warn Buyers To Be On the Lookout For Fake, Look-Alike Exchange Sites
The alternate Web pages may be created by interest groups, private insurance companies and sometimes scammers.
Checking The Facts Behind Obamacare Claims
FactCheck.org has gotten lots of questions about the law and has found that there’s a lot of wrong information out there.
FAQ: How Will The Individual Mandate Work?
The controversial health law provision that requires most individuals to get insurance is still not well understood.
GOP Lawmakers Demand Information From Groups Getting Navigator Grants
In a letter that the administration described as a “blatant and shameful attempt to intimidate,” the Republican House members direct groups to provide a written description of the work they intend to do, the number of employees and volunteers, their duties and how much they’ll be paid.
Group Health Omits Abortion Coverage In Plans Sold On Washington Exchange
The Seattle-based insurer and health provider won’t cover abortions in plans it will sell in the new online marketplace but says women will be able to get the procedure without paying more.
Health Law Adds New Expense For Farmers: Insurance For Field Workers
California’s mild climate means that farm work is a year-round business, and come 2015, the Affordable Care Act will require farm labor contractors to offer health insurance to field workers for the first time.
Taking A New Tack To Persuade ‘Young Invincibles’ To Buy Health Insurance
The health insurance premiums of younger, healthier adults will be important to balancing the cost of covering older, sicker Americans, but the challenge is to convince them they need the coverage.
Amid Health Law Expansion, Some States Trim Medicaid Rolls
Maine, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont are tightening eligibility requirements to shift some residents receiving Medicaid benefits into the online insurance marketplaces created by the health law.
Supreme Court Decision On Same-Sex Marriage Leaves Many Couples Awaiting Federal Rules On Insurance
The recent ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act didn’t address question of tax implications for health care for couples who live in a state that doesn’t recognize marriages.
The Health Care Battle Over Navigators
After lobbying from insurance agents, states move to regulate a key to Obamacare’s insurance marketplaces.